Team Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki will use Michelin Tyres for the remainder of the season

Team Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki will use Michelin Tyres for the remainder of the season

Team Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki today announced that for the remainder of
the 2002 Grand Prix season they will be switching back to the Michelin tyres
they had previously used for more than ten years.

The blue GSV-R V4 machines, ridden by former World Champion Kenny Roberts
Jr. and GP winner Sete Gibernau, will be fitted with the French tyres from the GP Marlboro de España at Jerez on May 5, the third of 16 championship rounds. At first, the Michelins will be 2001-spec tyres, with full support to follow after three to five races, in line with increased production of the latest tyres.

Suzuki and Dunlop will continue to cooperate in the domestic All-Japan series, in which the prototype GSV-R MotoGP machines will take part, albeit as non-scoring guest riders, as part of the powerful new prototype´s radically shortened development schedule.$$$

Telefónica MoviStar Suzuki GP team manager Garry Taylor explained: ´Nobody should think anything negative about Dunlop. They achieved second place for us at Suzuka, and put Kenny on the second row of the grid in South Africa. It's simply that our focus has changed. The MotoGP team has different priorities from before, and they no longer include tyre development. Obviously this is a big step for Suzuki, but the reasoning shows that it's not a move against Dunlop,´